Very handy

I raced through the front door last night with minutes to spare before a handyman arrived to quote on doing a few jobs around the apartment.

I was running late because there were literally 500 people lined up to catch my bus home. The queue snaked back and forth endlessly. Damn the rat race. I must win the lottery and escape it.

The youngest accosted me in the hallway and demanded to know why I hadn’t responded to her urgent calls.

Oops, missed those. Apparently the eldest opened the front door on Bilbo’s toe and his screams were both unmerciful and prolonged.

He held the injured toe so high in the air that he looked like he’d also dislocated his shoulder.

The youngest was calling to check if they should race him to the vet. He was given lots of cuddles instead and made a miraculous recovery.

The youngest then announced she was off to the supermarket to buy the ingredients to make me dinner.

Hello, what? Who are you and what have you done with my daughter?

While she was gone I showed the handyman – who happens to be the dad of one of the youngest’s friends – around the apartment.

It’s almost the one-year anniversary of moving into my down-sizer and I figure it’s high time to put the finishing touches on the place to celebrate.

The handyman is going to install some kickboards in the kitchen, after 12 months of gaping holes due to the dishwasher being replaced and the old kickboards no longer fitting.

He’s also going to paint the loungeroom, hallway and kitchen the same shade I had in my old place – Glinks Gully. The lounge room particularly needs a paint as there’s a dirty line all the way around the walls due to the new vinyl flooring being slightly lower than the manky old carpet that was ripped up before I moved in.

Plus I want to get rid of the rattling, noisy bifold door to the bathroom and replace it with a normal door. Oh, and the bifold door in the ensuite fell off last week and needs to be rehung.

Plus he’s going to paint the outdoor air-conditioning unit dark grey. I’d initially thought maybe he could build a cover for it, but he reckons he painted his and it worked a treat to make it blend in and look less ugly.

Best of all, he’s reasonably priced and can start on October 16. I am stoked.

When he left, youngest cooked risoni with a creamy chicken and sundried tomato sauce. Very delicious. And she insisted on tidying up and packing the dishwasher afterwards.

Again, who are you and what have you done with my daughter?

Tonight I am gallivanting, then tomorrow I have to be at work at the crack of dawn for an all-day forum. My head is already spinning with the logistics, so I’m not blogging in the morning.

I will regale you on Friday.

Song of the day: John Mellencamp “Pink Houses”